A month in to the experience, David Lough is getting comfortable being a Major League Baseball player.

“It’s getting to be normal now,” the 2004 Green High School graduate said. “It’s just baseball.”

But nothing could have prepared him for the emotions of walking onto the playing surface at Progressive Field this weekend.

Lough, 26, is an outfielder for the Kansas City Royals, who are in Cleveland for a weekend series.

Progressive Field is the ballpark of Lough’s youth, the place (then known as Jacobs Field) where big-league dreams began as he watched the powerful Indians of the 1990s with his dad, Denny.

“Never any decent tickets. We were usually up above, at the top,” said Lough, who still calls Green home in the offseason. “I’m looking down, like, ‘I can’t even see the players, dad.’

“But ... it always gave me chills to be in the stands because I knew I wanted to be out there someday.”

That day finally is here. Lough expected a large contingent of family, friends and former teammates to make their way to Cleveland this weekend.

The kid who played four sports at Green, played football and baseball at NCAA Division II Mercyhurst in Erie, Pa. and climbed the minor league baseball ladder the past six seasons is getting his shot. The 5-foot-11, 178-pound Lough, who bats and throws left-handed, was hitting .239 with nine runs scored in 16 games entering Saturday.

So far, Lough is relatively pleased with his play, which includes some highlight-reel catches. Like any rookie, his first game action came with some nerves.

“I was lucky to get that first hit out of the way in my first at-bat,” said Lough, who batted lead-off against the Twins on Sept. 1 and singled off Liam Hendriks. “Joe Mauer is on first base trying to talk to me, and I was like, ‘Dude, I don’t know what you’re saying right now. I’m spaced out. I’m forgetting the signs. I forget everything. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m just going to run if they hit it.’ ”

Lough has settled in. Royals hitting coach and former Indians player Kevin Seitzer likes what he sees from Lough in the cage and in the batter’s box. But it goes beyond just that.

“I like to see what the kids’ demeanors are like and how they handle themselves in a big-league environment,” Seitzer said. “He’s been very impressive. A pretty quiet kid. Keeps to himself. He works hard and fits in well. He’s a good teammate.”

The work ethic, the humility, seem to be ingrained in Lough, a guy who became a certified personal trainer in his free time during last season. His dad worked more than 40 years for Goodyear before retiring. David remembers the triple shifts and Denny having to work on Christmas at times. His mother, Denise, still works for Acme Markets.

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Lough’s route to the big leagues is the one less traveled. The majors aren’t littered with former Division II college players, especially ones from a school in a climate like Erie’s. Lough remembers shoveling snow off the field at Mercyhurst so he and his teammates could practice. He talked about getting swings in at a batting cage that was situated in the back of a paint shop.

Lough’s minor league career was highlighted by being named the Royals’ George Brett Hitter of the Year in 2009. He batted .318 with 46 extra-base hits last year in his first full season at Triple-A. This season saw his average dip to .275, but it also saw him steal a career-high 26 bases.

“He put together a couple of nice seasons at Triple A,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We brought him up to evaluate him and see where he fits with us going forward. I think he’s a guy that fits on your ball club as a fourth or fifth outfielder. He plays good defense. Runs well. Can swing the bat. He does some nice things.”

Yost expects Lough, who plays all three outfield positions, to compete for a roster spot in Spring Training next year.

Lough is shooting higher.

“I think the mentality you have to go with is ‘I want a starting spot,’ ” he said. “You’ll do whatever the team needs from you, if they want you to pinch run or pinch hit, be a defensive replacement late in games. That’s what any good teammate would do.

“But in the back of your mind, you want to be out there every single day.”